An American funeral home faces a lawsuit after allegedly allowing a man’s body to appear infested with maggots at his open-casket funeral.
The memorial for Torreon Williams, 24, was held a week after he died in a car accident in Chesapeake, Virginia, in May 2022.
His body was embalmed after his death, a process which typically halts decay enough for the deceased to be shown for up to around seven days.
But Torreon’s mother Tabitha was left screaming at the ‘shock and horror’ of seeing her late son’s face and body visibly infested with maggots when she approached his casket, according to a lawsuit she has filed since.
‘As mourners approached the body of Torreon Williams, these people noticed that Torreon Williams’ body, particularly his face, nose and mouth, were covered with and consumed by clumps of maggots’, documents filed for the plaintiffs at court said.
Seeing Ms Williams’ reaction, an employee then allegedly put his hands on her and said: ‘Don’t you make a scene.’
Another employee is said to have refused any responsibility for the situation, commenting that ‘flies got to him’.
‘The maggots had been on and in Torreon Williams’ body for a significant period of time and had been purposely ignored on the day of Torreon Williams’ service’, the plaintiffs’ documents add.
It is also alleged that holes appeared in Torreon’s cheek ‘that had not existed previously’, into which the maggots burrowed.
The defendants, Snellings Funeral Home, are accused of failing to properly clean and disinfect Torreon’s body before he was embalmed.
‘They provided this family with a grotesque freak show,’ attorney Kevin Sharp, who is representing Ms Williams, told local outlet WAVY News. ‘Maggots pouring out of this young man’s nose. Maggots in his mouth, and on his face.’
The CEO of Snellings’ parent company, Hollomon-Brown Funeral Homes, said in a statement: ‘The unexpected passing of Torreon Williams is tragic, and we extend our sincere condolences to his family.
‘However, because the events following his death are the subject of ongoing litigation, we do not believe it is appropriate to comment publicly at this time.’
The case is set to be heard by a jury over three days of court hearings next month.
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